In 2012 the CIty of Kalgoorlie Boulder was successful in securing Commonwealth CEEP (Community Energy Efficiency Program) funding for the design and construction of geothermal heating system and a solar thermal system for the Council owned Goldfields Oasis aquatic and leisure centre.
Natural gas was primarily used to heat the swimming pool and electricity for running a variety of different equipment at the centre including pool circulation pumps, lighting, air conditioning and ventilation. This energy use at the site was the Council’s single largest energy bill.
The installed systems included a solar thermal pool heating system for use during the summer months, a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system for pool heating during the winter months and solar PV system to offset the increased electricity consumption from the GSHPs. Together these systems formed a hybrid pool heating solution with essentially zero carbon emission.
